The Heroes of Olympus- Book 5
by daughter of lightning
Summary: What happens after House of Hades? I know that we haven't even read that yet. But I feel like I've read so many HoH stories that I would be stealing someone else's ideas if I wrote one for that. I'm also really bad at writing from the Roman POV, so Greeks for me :)
1. Chapter 1- Annabeth

1- Annabeth

Annabeth was falling and the only thing she knew with absolute certainty was that Percy had his arms wrapped tightly around her. She could feel the wind whipping around her as she was pulled by her ankle into the darkest depths of the underworld. She could hear as the cars and other debris fell around her crashing into each other, but she couldn't see a thing. She couldn't even make out Percy less than three inches in front of her.

With a scream she sat straight up, flinging her arms around—where was Percy? He had just been holding her…

"Annabeth- it's okay, it's okay," he said, rubbing her back. Slowly she regained her senses, she could make out the shape of the desk and wardrobe in her dark room, she could tell that she was in a comfortable bed and not an endless pit, and most of all, she knew that Percy was still there with her.

Tears crept into her eyes and Percy sat up, scooted against the wall so his back was resting on it and pulled Annabeth into his chest where she absolutely broke down. He brushed his hand over her hair, kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. As she calmed down, she sat up a little straighter and leaned into his neck.

"It's almost over, we're out," Percy whispered.

"I know. I just still can't believe it. Everything Percy. I can't believe any of it." She didn't know what else to say, she didn't want to think about it. Annabeth had been to the underworld before and it was terrifying, but it had been nothing compared to Tartarus.

"Tomorrow, we'll take care of the last of the giants and then we'll go back to camp. We'll be safe, and we'll be together." They were together now, she thought, and that was a good start.

Annabeth and Percy had barely made it through the Doors of Death at the House of Hades. They had sprung out right as Nico and Hazel were closing them, perfect timing.

Now they were floating _safely_ over Greece and she was in Percy's arms. That's what mattered. Nico had taken to sleeping in Percy's room while they had been gone. He'd offered to sleep on the couch in the mess hall, but Annabeth had looked at Percy thinking _Don't leave me_. He'd clearly understood because he'd wrapped his arm around Annabeth's waist, squeezed tight, and told Nico to keep the room.

Coach Hedge didn't like this alternative solution, but nobody was really going to say no to Annabeth and Percy after what they'd been through.

"How were you sleeping?" She asked Percy, "Didn't you have nightmares?"

"I can barely close my eyes, Annabeth. I close them and it's like eternal darkness is all around me again, only worse, because I can't even feel you with me. I was just watching you sleep."

She reached up and touched his cheek- all the worry there, all the pain, he looked like she felt. Like he'd just seen the deepest circle of Hell and would never forget what it was like. What she wouldn't give to take his pain away.

She wrapped her arms around him and held tight, taking in everything, feeling the new scars on his back, his ocean smell (at least that would never change), and the feel of his strong muscles.

She leaned up and kissed him softly, "Thank you" she said against his lips.

"For what?"

"For not letting me go."

"Never," was all he said and pulled her into an even tighter hug and kissed her back with so much love, it made her want to cry.

When they pulled back for air, Percy looked her straight in the eye and very seriously said, "I love you, Annabeth, forever."

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain," and for the first time since she saw Percy descending into Arachnae's cavern, she smiled.

They talked for a little while longer, occasionally kissing, and at some point, she fell asleep, with Percy's arms wrapped protectively around her.


	2. Chapter 2- Nico

2-Nico

Nico was absolutely ecstatic that his two best friends had made it safely—well, as safely as was possible—out of Tartarus. He was the son of Hades and he barely scraped by with his life.

Nico wasn't happy often, so the fact that he was actually ecstatic about something was kind of a big deal. Yes, he had his 'sister,' but she was Roman, a daughter of Pluto, not Hades… and she would never be Bianca. He'd brought Hazel back because it's what his father wanted and because it would seriously tick off Persephone, Queen of Evil Stepmothers.

Frank was alright, but kind of a big oaf and he didn't really like seeing his sister with a boyfriend, it was good that she was happy and all, but that guy was a son of Mars and could turn into a draken- not exactly the safety rating he wanted.

Leo was probably the most ADHD demigod ever and he could spontaneously catch fire, seemed to have a crush on Hazel, and take pleasure in annoying absolutely everyone around him. Even Nico had to admit though; he had some mad skill when it came to machine works. Nico doubted even Charles Beckendorf could have made a war ship like the _Argo II_.

Jason was like a super up-tight, almost as talented, Percy. He was all about leadership. Where Jason was trained to be a leader, Percy took it in stride. He was the son of Jupiter and Nico could just tell that his entire life that simple fact had been his defining characteristic, people chose him to lead because he was the King of the Sky's son. People chose Percy to lead because he was just good (a good person, a good fighter, a good friend, a good leader). Nico just didn't know about Jason. He suspected that Jason was jealous of Percy, but couldn't be sure. If spending all of his time with the dead and damned, which it did, it would be that he knew more about them than the living. It was hard for Nico to read people. It seemed like Jason _tried_ to be a leader, and Percy just _lead_. They did work well together. Even Nico could see that. When those two put their powers together, giants barely stood a chance.

Nico wanted his strength back; he wanted to fight alongside his cousins. When he and Percy and Thalia had worked together, they had been practically unstoppable, the children of the three eldest gods. Nico wondered if that's why he wasn't sure about Jason, because Jupiter was newer than Zues.

And then there was Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, most powerful charmspeaker in a century, and, of course, girlfriend to the blonde Superman himself. She was seriously hot, even if she tried not to be. When your mother is the goddess of love _and _beauty and your dad is the "definition of old-guy sexy" (according to Thalia), Nico figured you really didn't stand a chance of not being gorgeous. Not that she noticed Nico as anything more than the death kid. Nico was destined to be alone, or so it seemed to him at least.

He imagined dating a mortal and telling her that he was a demigod. In his imagination, she didn't freak out, she simply exclaimed _That's so cool! Who's your godly parent._ To which Nico would reply: _Hades is my father._ And then she would run away screaming for her life.

Ya- that was really the most positive outcome he could think of.

When Nico was about ten, he'd had a huge crush on Annabeth. Hey! She'd gotten kidnapped to save him. He was almost three years younger than she was and there was Percy. Once those two finally got together, everyone at camp was like: _duhhhh_. Nico completely agreed with that. It's like they were made for each other: Percy making Annabeth a little more impulsive, getting her to not think things through so much and have more fun; Annabeth calming Percy down, bringing some logic into his life, and making him genuinely happy.

Anybody who can fall into Tartarus to save his girlfriend got a five-star rating in Nico's book, and any couple who can survive that place together, well- Nico knew that they loved each other more than anything in the world.

As he lay in Percy's cabin- his cabin now?- he thought about all of these things. He thought about how he had almost closed the Doors of Death just when Annabeth and Percy leaped through; he thought about his father and mother and stepmother; he thought about—_BANG!_

Nico was thrown out of his bed as the ship lurched sideways.


	3. Chapter 3- Leo

3-Leo

**Sorry that this one's really short. Some will be longer than others, but that's part of the fun, I guess J.**

Annabeth and Percy were safe and for the time being, Leo was getting to play with his sphere. He was trying to hook it up to the _Argo II_'s main control panel when he accidently connected the celestial bronze wires to the wrong portal.

The ship lurched and stopped dead in mid-air practically sideways. Leo started swearing and talking to himself, mixing Spanish, English, and Greek as easily as ice cream flavors.

He unplugged the cable and the ship righted itself. Leo stood up from behind the desk to see seven angry demigods all in various states of anger staring down at him.

Percy and Jason stood in the center, right above him, glaring at him. Percy was only wearing pajama pants and had his arms crossed over his chest. Annabeth was in a tank top and shorts and had one hand on her hip. Jason had on a purple Camp Jupiter shirt and jeans and Piper was in jean shorts and a tank top—so obviously they had been awake before Leo's little mishap. But he also knew that Jason didn't walk around in just pjs, so maybe he had woken up and quickly gotten dressed. He could see Jason glancing over at Percy irritatedly. Nico had on black jeans and his aviator's jacket on over a Black Sabbath t-shirt. Frank was in cheetah form, clearly waiting for the order to pounce on Leo. Hazel walked over to Leo and quietly asked:

"Leo- what just happened?"

Leo explained what he was doing and that it wasn't a monster. Nobody beside Hazel looked satisfied with this explanation. Annabeth walked over to where Leo was sitting on the floor and knelt down. Leo blushed to have her so close in just her pajamas. He glanced nervously up at Percy, who noticed, but didn't say anything.

Maybe he didn't care, or maybe he knew that Leo didn't have a chance, or maybe it was a good thing because Leo figured that Percy wouldn't pull out Riptide and attack him while Annabeth was sitting so close.

She grabbed a few wires and twisted them together in a complicated pattern, handed them back to Leo and silently pointed at a small opening on the sphere.

Leo connected the bronze and watched as the sphere whirred to life.

"Wow. Okay, how did you know how to do that?" He asked.

"I've got a smart girlfriend," Percy said, "She doesn't go messing with controls while everyone's sleeping and knock them out of bed."

Annabeth laid a calming had on her boyfriend's chest and wrapped her other arm around his back. Percy visibly relaxed, dropping his arms so they hugged Annabeth to him.

"The notes were on Deadalus' laptop," Annabeth explained, "While I was studying it, I saw that he had a whole file on Archemedes' Spheres."

"That's amazing!" Leo exclaimed. "Will you sit down with me later and tell me what else you remember from the notes?"

"But first," Piper said, "Breakfast."

Together they made their way down to the mess hall, eager for some food.


	4. Chapter 4- Piper

4- Piper

**Reviews would be lovely. If you have an idea of where you'd like to see the story go, comments on what I'm doing, places where the story lines don't add up, or anything. Whether you loved it or not, I'd really like to hear your thoughts.**

Piper hadn't seen Percy without a shirt on before and wow… she understood what Annabeth saw in the guy. Except for the red gashes on his back; but even as she watched, he went over to the sink and grabbed a large glass, dumped in about a quarter of a cup of salt and filled the cup with water.

He moved over to one of the chairs and handed the glass to Annabeth, turned so his back was towards her. She took the glass and slowly poured the water on his back, making sure to wet each of the cut marks. As she watched, Piper could see the angry red welts fading. Annabeth ran her fingers over each one and flinched as if remembering how her boyfriend had gotten them. Percy stretched, turned and kissed Annabeth and brought the cup back to the sink.

Their relationship was so easy, Piper thought. They didn't even have to say anything to each other to communicate, and they were so comfortable with each other around everyone. Jason didn't often kiss her in public, and certainly not at easily as Percy just had.

She went over and sat down next to Jason, taking his hand, he squeezed back gently and let their hands fall into her lap.

"Okay," he said in his strong voice, the voice of a Praetor of Rome. "What's our game plan?"

Leo, Nico, Frank, and Hazel looked from Jason to Percy. _Seriously?_ Piper thought, _Now that Percy's back, he's in charge?_ It was stupid, really. She didn't need to be jealous for her boyfriend. She wouldn't trade Jason for anybody in the world! She was absolutely in love with him, and that was what mattered.

Percy looked groggy, like he hadn't slept much the night before, and not that Annabeth looked any better, but she answered, "Why don't you guys tell us what we missed."

So they did- Nico told her about finding the Doors, and Jason told them the rest of the story, the monsters they'd faced, the nature spirits they'd worked with, and the ritual Nico had used to close the Doors.

Percy looked at Nico, "You kept your promise." Piper didn't really know what that meant, but obviously Nico did.

"A long time ago, Percy, I blamed you for something that wasn't your fault. I held such resentment towards you, even after I forgave you; I still held it with me. You've saved me more times than I've deserved, and I still almost closed the Doors on you. I'm sorry."

Percy reached over and put his hand on Nico's shoulder, "Hey man, you did what you thought you had to do. I hope that I would have done the same thing."

Piper really had no idea what they were talking about now. What would Nico have held against Percy, she thought Percy could do no wrong in the eyes of the Greek demigods—apparently not.

Alarms started blaring all around them, red lights flashing everywhere. Percy, Nico, and Jason all jumped up grabbing their swords and running out the mess hall onto the port deck.

There was a ventus surrounding the ship. At least Piper was pretty sure it was only one. It was bigger than any that she had ever seen! Certainly bigger than Dylan, the first monster Jason had ever saved her from, and even looked more violent and more spirited (and not in a good way) than Jason's "friend," Tempest.

The monster looked like a storm spirit gone mad. It kept flashing and changing shape, sometimes an angry looking man, sometimes a horse, a snake, was that a collie? It rocked the _Argo II_ back and forth, whipping the winds up all around them. Jason was standing there with his feet planted firmly on the ground, his imperial gold sword pointing directly at the sky, attempting to reign in the winds. They calmed slightly, but lightening cracked all around him, he zapped the monster, but it only seemed to absorb the strike. Then the rain started.

"Good idea!" Percy yelled, using this to his advantage, he called upon the water and road it like a waterslide, contorting it so he kept skating on it and slashed at the ventus with his celestial bronze blade.

"Nico, now!" Jason and Percy shouted at the same time.

Nico glanced between them for a split second, but then seemed to understand completely. Nico ran toward the monster and jumped, Jason and Percy both threw their arms out, Percy shooting a jet of water and Jason a gust of wind to blow Nico into position. He slammed down with his stygian iron sword right when the ventus was solidified into the shape of a man; at the same time, Percy used the water to shoot directly at the monster; and Jason slammed it with another bolt of lightning. The combination of water, electricity, and iron from the underworld seemed to do the trick; the creature exploded in a burst of smoke and dust.

All around them the storm cleared, Percy willed the water to flow over the edges of the trireme. Then all three boys collapsed on the deck, drained.

Piper ran over and caught Jason as he was sliding down one of the ship's masts. He leaned his head against her shoulder as they sat down together. Everyone had been working so hard for the past few weeks that even using a little of their powers was wiping them out.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Annabeth checking on Percy and Nico, but she only had eyes for Jason, and right now, those eyes were full of worry.

"Pipes," he groaned.

"I'm here," she said back. "It's going to be okay. It's gone."

"Get me outta here." She wound one arm under his shoulders and looped his arm over her shoulders; Leo ran forward and grabbed his other side, helping Piper. They got him safely down to the sick bay and Leo let them have some privacy.

After a couple sips of nectar, Jason smiled up at Piper, reached up and put his hand on her cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"_What's wrong?_ Really Jason? Do you realize that we've spent more time together in this sick bay that we have out of it? I just feel like the only alone time we get is when I'm playing nurse. Not that I mind that part, obviously, but I just want to spend time together when you're conscious."

Jason scooted over on the hospital-style bed and pulled Piper into it with him, she laid with her head on his shoulder with his arms around her and tucked into him, letting every part of him wash over her.

"I love you, Pipes. There is no where I'd rather be and no one I'd rather spend time with, but the world is literally falling down around us. I'm sorry that I keep getting hurt and I'm sorry for scaring you. I promise, when this is all over, it's you and me."

She smiled, a huge, ridiculous, kid-in-a-candy-shop smile, and beamed up at Jason. It was the first time that he'd said I love you to her. To be honest, ever since she said it to him in Rome, it had been bothering her a tiny bit, but he did love her, he really did. She reached up and kissed him on the lips, then laid her head back down on his shoulder and took a nap.


	5. Chapter 5- Percy

5- Percy

**Hope you're all having a great day! If you have time, feel free to review this chapter. Sorry for another short chapter, but I'm writing these at work, so I kind of go on little spurts. Hope you like it and I'll try to make them longer. Also- if you like Harry Potter FanFic, then check out my other story J.**

Percy was so fed up with being a demigod. Yes, his powers over water were pretty awesome, but the rest of it kind of sucked. He sat on the deck with Annabeth- who was still in her pajamas and looked totally hot in a comfy sort of way- and Nico and reviewed their options of what to do next. Annabeth knew more than just about anybody on the old Greek myths and Nico, being a child of the underworld, had traveled all over and learned of legends from actual heroes.

"So the giants that we know to have risen are: Alcyoneus the bane of Hades; Porphyrion, the bane of Zues and king of the Giants; Ephialtes and Otus, banes of Dionisys; Polybotes, bane of Poseidon and Enceladus, bane of my mother, Athena. Do we know any others who are rising to help Gaia?"

"I haven't heard of anyone else, well besides Mimas, who was guarding the Doors on our end. Frank and Leo worked together and called on the power of their fathers. Depending on which legends you listen to, Hepheastus and Ares both took credit for slaying Mimas." said Nico, "It takes a lot of power for the Earth Mother to raise one of her Children. You heard how long Alcyoneus took, and Hera was nearly killed while her power was drained to raise Porphyrion."

"Ya, but Hazel and Frank killed Alcyoneus in Canada, we just took care of Ephialtes and Otus; I killed Polybotes; and Jason, Frank, and Piper killed Enceladus. Doesn't that just leave Porphyrion?"

"There are still more Giants, Percy." Annabeth explained. "There's Agrios, Clytius, Damysos, Eurytus, Gration, Hippolytus, Leon, Pallas, Pelorus, Theodamas, and Thoon! How are we possibly going to kill all of them? We've shut the Doors of Death, so now they'll actually stay dead, but…" She trailed off, but it didn't matter, Nico and Percy knew what she meant.

_Gods of Olympus_, he thought, _how _were_ they going to do this_?

An Iris message shimmered in front of them. A girl with spiky black hair, a silver circlet, and a silver winter jacket covering her punk-rock t-shirt looked at them through the mist-image. It was Thalia Grace, daughter of Zues, sister of Jason, and lieutenant to Artemis and her hunters. Smoke curled up behind her and Percy could make out the image of a silver chariot streaking through the sky.

"Percy, Annabeth, thank the gods you're alive! Jason's been telling me what's going on. What in Hades where you thinking? Jumping into Tartarus?"

"Hi Thalia, good to see you too," Percy muttered.

"Sorry- I mean, I know you didn't actually _jump_ into the pit, okay? I was just calling to give a status update."

"Status update?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes, my lady, Artemis, helped us defeat the last of the Giants in the states. Pallas was rising in Minnesota, but together, we were able to take him down."

"Wait-" Nico interjected, "What do you mean the last of the Giants over there?"

"Well, that's the last one that we know to have risen. We haven't heard any rumors or seen any signs of any other giants. We believe that Gaia was going to raise one giant at a time, but when Jason injured Porphyrion, and you all destroyed so many of her other sons, that she decided to focus on raising herself instead, knowing that she would be the most powerful, and didn't want to waste her energy on her children. We are also thinking that once she awakens, it will only take a fraction of her power to raise her sons, the Giants, and maybe even the titans again. We've done all we can from here. You have to stop Porphyrion and put the dirt-face back to sleep or we'll all be in serious trouble. Not just as children of the gods and heroes of Olympus, but especially because we're the ones who have killed her children, for a second time!"

With that cheerful message, she waved her hand through the image like she was saying goodbye and then she dissipated.

"So… good news and bad news." Percy summed up.

"We should tell the others," Annabeth said.


	6. Chapter 6- Annabeth

Annabeth walked down to the cabin level with Percy and Nico, they'd decided they each wanted to shower and get dressed before sharing what they'd learned from Thalia with the others. She gave Percy a quick kiss before going into her room.

She took a quick shower, washing her hair felt amazing. After two weeks in Tartarus, it would take a few days for the novelty of clean water and shampoo to wear off. She got out, towel-dried her hair and pulled it up into a quick, messy bun. She then pulled on a clean, orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and some jean shorts, laced up her sneakers and went into the mess hall.

Percy and Nico were already sitting there, both with wet hair. She hated boys sometimes, in the time it took her to shower and get dressed; they'd each taken a shower, gotten dressed, and had some food.

Annabeth looked around the room curiously, "Where are Piper and Jason?"

Percy shrugged, Nico glanced around as if just realizing they were gone, Leo poked his head out from behind a cabinet, "They were in the sick bay last time I saw them- I think controlling the winds that much took a lot out of Jason."

"I'll go get them," she said.

Leo really had done a fantastic job on the _Argo II_, she should have told him that more often. She knew that she was the only one on the ship besides Leo who appreciated the intense engineering that went into it, but sometimes it was hard to remember that Leo was as smart as he was. They guy was just so… silly. There really wasn't another word for it.

Annabeth came to the sick bay and say Piper and Jason asleep in one of the little beds. They looked so peaceful she hated to disturb them. Annabeth knew that Piper was sometimes a little insecure about their relationship, after Hera had messed with her mind making her think that they had a relationship and then having to start all over again had to be rough. Annabeth had lost Percy for six or seven months, but she had never lost her memories of him.

She knocked quietly on the door frame. Jason woke up and, as gently as he could, woke Piper up too.

"Sorry guys, we got an Iris message from Thalia-"

"My sister?" Jason interrupted, practically jumping out of the bed. "What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, well she's alive, I don't know about fine. She was fine enough to yell at Percy and me. Anyway, she shared some news that we think everyone should hear. We're meeting in the mess hall."

The daughter of Athena turned, walked out the way she'd come in and went back toward the dining room.

_I don't know if you can hear me right now, mom, but please, if you can, guide me, help me plan a strategy, I need guidance. We found the Athena Parthenos and I want nothing more than to return it to Mount Olympus, but until this quest is over, I can't. If she can't hear me, _Annabeth continued thinking, _than Lords Zues/Jupiter, Poseidon, Hades/Pluto, Hephestus, and Ares; and Lady Aphrodite, please, we're your children and we literally cannot do this without your help._

She didn't know where it had come from, but she thought that if her mother couldn't help, then maybe the others' parents could. _If I ever have children, I will do everything I can to help them and protect them from this life_. Wow- where had that thought come from? She had no idea where her mind was these days; one minute is was in the past, the next in the future. She couldn't afford to think like this, she needed to be _here_, in the present.

Leo was fiddling with some control when she walked in, going over to him, she bent down and put her hand gently on his shoulder. Under her touch, she could feel Leo tense, waiting to be reprimanded, speaking softly, she said, "The ship really is great, Leo, I'm sorry I haven't said so sooner. It's saved our lives more times than we can count."

He relaxed a little, obviously glad that she wasn't yelling at him, "Annabeth, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw everything off this morning. I just want to figure out how to use the sphere. I know it can help us with our little problem."

"You'll figure it out. You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"You mean than other people give me credit for," he sulked.

Annabeth frowned, she absolutely hated it when people put themselves down, being upset was one thing, but he Leo actually believed that people didn't think he was smart, than he really was an idiot. "Leo, anybody who is better at engineering than an Athena kid really is smart. Remember that, okay?" She gave him a quick side-hug and went to grab a drink before their meeting started.


	7. Chapter 7- Nico

7- Nico

After explaining what Annabeth had said about how many giants there could potentially be, then clarifying with Thalia's message, Nico looked around the table to see seven demigods faces all turned down.

Without another word, Percy shoved his chair back and walked out of the room, "Annabeth?" Nico asked.

"Give him a minute, Nico," she said, looking worriedly at the door.

"I'll go," Jason said, making to get up.

Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder, something that Nico felt was either protective of Percy or insulting to Jason, "I don't know if you're the right person, Jason."

"I might not have gone through what you've been through, trust me, I don't want to pretend as though I have, but if anybody understands what it's like to have the weight of the world on your shoulders, I do."

Annabeth took a step back, Nico saw her eyes flash, "Oh really? So you've taken the burden from Atlas? You've nearly been crushed by the force of Uranus and Gaea trying to reconnect, because you might have toppled Mount Othrus, but I don't remember you taking on that little challenge. I'm pretty sure that Luke, Percy, and I are the only heroes in the past few hundred years who have been granted that honor." She looked furious, like every nasty thought she'd ever had about Jason was going to come out.

Jason stood up, ready to retaliate, "No, maybe not, but I do know what it's like to be responsible for hundreds of lives, to be the one everyone counts on, to feel like a failure, to feel like I let everyone down, to be a child not just of an Olympian, but a king. Sorry Annabeth, but I think I can relate a little better than you think I can." He was nearly shouting now, throwing his hands into the air, "And you know what?" Sparks flickered across his fingertips as the air in the room picked up, "I'm not sorry that I'm Roman, I can't control who my father is, and you seem to like Thalia well enough, so I know it's not that I'm his son… I'm sick of you treating me like some sort of traitor, what in Hades did I ever do to you?!"

"I got the short end of the stick," Annabeth said quietly, then with poise, walked out of the dining cabin, closing the door behind her. When she passed Nico, he saw tears starting to spill over the edge of her stormy gray eyes.

"Annabeth," he said softly just before she shut the door.

"Not now."

The room was silent in the aftermath of the fight; Jason's hands still threw off the occasional spark. Leo appeared to already be moving on as he juggled fireballs in the corner, he tossed them into the air, catching them in his mouth one at a time.

"Dude, seriously?" Nico asked.

"I like the smoky flavor," Leo grinned

A door slammed shut mid-ship and Nico could hear Annabeth shouting again, but couldn't make out the words. He turned guiltily back to Jason. "They've been through a lot together," he said, trying to apologize for his friend.

"I get that, but it doesn't give her the right to take my head off. I was just trying to help."

"No offense, but it doesn't seem like you and Percy really get along all that well, so I get why she didn't think you were the right person to go talk to him."

"Oh good, I've been dying to reenact The Battle of Troy on this vacation. Greeks against the Romans then, is it?"

"Jason," Piper tried.

"No, no, Pipes, it's okay, you're Greek. Why was he walking away anyway? Is it too much to ask for him to just talk?"

Leo, Hazel, and Frank all purposefully averted their eyes, plainly trying to avoid taking sides.

"Actually," Nico said, holding out his arm toward the door as an invitation, "by all means, I think you should go talk to them right now, sounds like a capital idea."

Jason walked to the door, Piper not two steps behind her boyfriend. Honestly, wasn't that guy like the president of New Rome or something, Nico thought he'd show a little more decorum than that.

"Leo-," Nico smiled, "Can you heat up some popcorn, I think this is about to get really entertaining."

Leo smiled back, "You know something Death Boy, I think this is the start of a B-E-A-U-Tiful friendship."


	8. Chapter 8- Leo

8- Leo

Death Boy was starting to grow on Leo. When he'd first met Nico he'd seemed super creepy, then when he'd done that ritual to close the doors, nearly shutting AB and Percy in, he'd seem even creepier to Leo. Nico could stand up to the others though, something Leo respected because he was mostly in the background, and it sounded like there was about to be a major blowout between Annabeth, Percy, Jason, and Piper, and the fact that Nico thought popcorn was the solution made him like the kid a little more.

"That was bad," Hazel said in her deep southern accent. "Annabeth shouldn't have said that stuff to Jason."

"Jason shouldn't have snapped like that, they just got back from, like, the world's worst trip. Dante himself probably couldn't have imagined a worse hell," Leo stuck up for his friend.

"But Jason is a Praetor, he deserves more respect, if someone isn't coping, it's his duty to handle the situation, that's all he was trying to do," Frank interjected.

"Maybe you haven't noticed," Leo gestured around, "But we're not in Rome; New or Old. Besides, I've heard stories at Camp about things Percy's done. He's just as qualified.

"She was still out of line," Hazel said, turing to her brother for help.

"I don't think it's our place to decide how they handle their own affairs. Neither of them should have shouted the way they did. Jason and Percy are both used to being the one demigod in charge, this quest has thrown them both off their game. They are both used to being the strongest, most capable member of their team, not used to having to share the duties, the glory, or the responsibility. I believe they are both feeling all of the responsibility for all of our lives when they should be sharing it, leaning on each other to fight better, like earlier, rather than passive aggressively dealing with it. If Piper and Annabeth keep fighting each other's boyfriends, they're not going to be friends much longer."

Nico walked over to the cabinets, grabbed the snack and tossed them to Leo, who caught them easily, excited.

Leo held a bag of popcorn in each hand, sending heat through both of them. The smell and sound of each kernel popping was comforting, like when him and his mom used to have movie nights in their old Houston apartment.

"Mijo," she'd said when they watched Inspector Gadget, "You'll like this one." He remembered, even at such a young age, trying to figure out how it all worked.

Down the hall, Jason knocked on Annabeth's door; it flew open "What!"

"I just want to talk," Jason looked over her shoulder, probably at Percy. "To you, actually."

"Annabeth, it's fine, let him in." Leo heard Percy say.


	9. Chapter 9- Piper

9- Piper

"Fine," Annabeth looked from Jason to Percy, tears now streaming down her cheeks, "But I don't have to stay in here and deal with him." She shot Jason a scathing look and Piper was surprised he didn't catch fire then and there. She didn't know what was wrong with her friend. Annabeth was usually so level-headed, 'calm, cool, and collected' was how most people at Camp Half-Blood described her.

"Annabeth," she pleaded.

"Piper, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to say something I'm going to regret to you," she tried to leave the room, but Percy reached out and grabbed her wrist. They met each other's eyes and appeared to have a silent conversation. Piper felt like she was intruding on a very intiment moment.

_Seriously, I know it's totally stupid that I'm jealous at this moment, but even in the middle of all of this, they can still be that solid?_ She thought bitterly.

Annabeth broke eye contact, "Fine. I'll hear you out."

The smell and sound of cooking popcorn wafted down the hall. No doubt that was Leo's idea. "Oh! Our team is falling apart, let's make a snack to enjoy watching it!" Piper laced her fingers through Jason's and shut Annabeth's door. The others would probably be able to hear everything, but at least they couldn't watch.

"Look man," Percy said, standing up, "I don't know what exactly went down between the two of you at Camp, or what your issue with each other is, but when my girlfriend comes in here so upset that she's crying, something that I've only seen a handful of times, we've got a problem."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me! Jason didn't _do_ anything," Piper could hear the magic in her voice without trying, she wanted to convince them for real, without enchanting them.

"Oh my gods, Piper," Annabeth now stood, standing next to Percy, who's eyes had glazed over. "You are not seriously going to try to charmspeak this one. You're not even a part of this."

"As much as you are, seriously Annabeth, what _is _your problem with Jason? You get along with Frank and Hazel, and even Reyna, so I know it's not that he's Roman, like he said!" Piper was getting mad, here she and her best girl friend were fighting their boyfriend's battle. Piper just couldn't stop herself though.

"You want to know what my problem is? You really want to know!" Annabeth whipped around to Percy, gesturing wildly at Jason and Piper. "She took you from me! One day you were there and the next you weren't! For almost a moth we searched and searched, everywhere I could think of! Thalia even diverted her hunting trips to help look. Nico checked all over the Underworld. Your mother was practically going crazy with worry." She took a deep breath, "She took you from me!" She shouted louder than ever. "Then, to add insult to injury, just when I was given a clue, 'Go to the Grand Canyon,' the damned Grand Canyon," she repeated, "I don't even get you back! I get some random Roman, like he's supposed to be some sort of a replacement? Finally you come out of wherever you were and you make a whole new group of friends. When was the last time you talked to Grover, huh? He got married, did you know that? Oh and, just incase I wanted some more salt poured in my wounds, now you've got that stupid SPQR tattoo, burned into you permanently." She was in hysterics, Piper could see her hands shaking, tears streamed down her face as she fought through sobs to catch her breath.

_ How had she been holding all of that inside?_ Piper thought.

"Sweetie," she took a step forward, but before she could say more, Percy was reaching out for her.

"No! Do not hug me just because you feel bad or feel sorry for me," she slapped at his chest, over and over again, but Percy just kept trying to hold her, eventually she appeared to give up and collapsed into his arms, sobbing harder than ever.

"Maybe you guys could give us a minute?" He asked, "Jason, I do want to talk too, I'll come find you later."

"Yah, of course, don't stress. We'll be in the air for a while longer, Leo will come let you know when we need to touch down in the water."

"What is wrong with you four?" Piper asked, shutting the cabin door behind her. Leo, Nico, Hazel, and Frank were all sitting against the wall opposite Annabeth's room, chowing down on some freshly popped popcorn. "Get out of here and go do something productive," this time she pushed the magic into her voice, like zombies they all got up and walked in separate directions.

Piper and Jason walked silently up to the deck where Jason could keep guard. "I had no idea she was feeling all of that," Piper said.

"Me neither, I sort of feel badly for trying to tell her how Percy was feeling when she's had so much bubbling up inside of her for literally months now."

"I know, but Jase, you know she's not really mad at you, she's mad at Hera and the gods, and Gaea, and Percy, I think she's really mad at Percy."

"Ya," he said, leaning his back against the rails, with the wind whipping through his blonde hair he looked like a model for a sailboat company. "But she did call me a subpar version of Percy." He frowned, looking off into the distance. "Even Nico said Percy was the strongest demigod he's ever met."

"You know Chiron? He told me that powers develop with time, age, and training. Percy is a little older than you…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

"Maybe, but he didn't find out he was a demigod until he was twelve, I was like, three. If it's about time and training, I should have that one in the bag. Not to play the 'my dad's the King of Olympus' card, but my dad is the King of Olympus; you'd think that would give me some extra powers. Apparently, all it does is piss Greeks off and give me an extra special ability to be knocked unconscious."


End file.
